Pride in each prick: the gay embroidery we’ve been waiting for

March 7, 2017

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In the history of handicrafts, embroidery is one of the oldest, dating as far back as the 5th BC. Yet while everything from Chinese ritual garments to medieval English tapestries can represent a place and era, gay imagery has rarely penetrated the art; at least not until now.

Making a living as a costume designer for the stage, Japanese fashion graduate Stitchguy needed a more creative outlet to express ideas more personal to him. “Creating clothes takes a lot of hard work and money, a staff, and a space, but hand embroidery can be done in a café, a train, anywhere—so I decided to study the technique again,” he shares, explaining what led him to once again take up a needle and thread almost a year and a half ago.

“This time, I thought I could make gay artwork that I could relate to—it was as if I discovered my life’s work,” he says, noting that the identity he’s kept under wraps is for people to focus on each piece regardless of who made them.

Beyond the floral themes and ornamentation so associated with traditional embroidery are the seeds of modern gay love Stitchguy has sewn into his work. “There are four seasons in Japan and for the longest time, they have been expressed in different arts, be it cooking or on kimonos. Seasons are something I experience with my boyfriend and it’s about time the glowing love we have for them can be expressed through embroidery,” he says of the theme he uses alongside the stitched figures of beautiful boys. There’s “Winter Sea,” where men making out in the buff are stitched on photo-printed fabric; or “Garden,” where a similar pair has their hands on each other’s bare buns while surrounded by vibrant foliage.

With such public displays of private affection debuting via his Instagram account, it wasn’t long before the IG likes led to orders from around the world. Since then, he’s made portrait embroidery for an American couple’s anniversary with their favorite flower stitched in, while pieces that take from six to 15 hours to make can be purchased through his online shop including tank tops and hoop art ready for hanging.

All throughout, gay coupling is as prominent as the nature that encloses it. It’s as if Stitchguy has emphasized what we all know: that the love between two men is both as natural and beautiful as the seasons—an idea that, according to the artist, isn’t as accepted in many Japanese households. For as long as this is the case, Stitchguy will keep pricking through tradition with the love that feels true to him. Just as his pieces take time and effort to finish, he knows that it’ll take a while before acceptance of the LGBT can figure significantly in Japan’s cultural fabric. Still, there’s the hope that one day, LGBT Japanese can wear their pride like an intricately embroidered garment.

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TEAM tackles how gay Filipino men relate their identity, from fuckups to fantasies, to where to go for music you can actually dance to. We may not have proper rights in our country but we’re claiming some authority by getting our words and ideas on page. And though we lack public places to convene, an open publication (and wide-open digital space) is a good place to start.